A SONG OF LIFE

# 🌿 **A Song of Life**

*(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)*

**Tell me not, in mournful numbers,**

**Life is but an empty dream!**

**For the soul is dead that slumbers,**

**And things are not what they seem.**

**Life is real! Life is earnest!**

**And the grave is not its goal;**

**Dust thou art, to dust returnest,**

**Was not spoken of the soul.**

**Not enjoyment, and not sorrow,**

**Is our destined end or way;**

**But to act, that each tomorrow**

**Find us farther than today.**

**Art is long, and Time is fleeting,**

**And our hearts, though stout and brave,**

**Still, like muffled drums, are beating**

**Funeral marches to the grave.**

**In the world's broad field of battle,**

**In the bivouac of Life,**

**Be not like dumb, driven cattle!**

**Be a hero in the strife!**

**Trust no Future, howe’er pleasant!**

**Let the dead Past bury its dead!**

**Act,— act in the living Present!**

**Heart within, and God o’erhead!**

**Lives of great men all remind us**

**We can make our lives sublime,**

**And, departing, leave behind us**

**Footprints on the sands of time;**

**Footprints that perhaps another,**

**Sailing o’er life’s solemn main,**

**A forlorn and shipwrecked brother,**

**Seeing, shall take heart again.**

**Let us, then, be up and doing,**

**With a heart for any fate;**

**Still achieving, still pursuing,**

**Learn to labour and to wait.**

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# ✨ **Summary of the Poem**

“A Song of Life” inspires people not to be discouraged by sadness or the thought that life is meaningless. The poet says that life is **real and serious**, not just an empty dream. Although our bodies return to dust after death, our souls are immortal.

He stresses that our purpose is **not just pleasure or sorrow**, but to **work hard and grow every day**. Time passes quickly, so we must act bravely, like heroes, rather than follow others blindly like cattle.

We should **not rely on the future or be stuck in the past**, but live actively in the present, guided by our conscience and faith in God. The noble lives of great people inspire us to leave a positive impact that will guide others.

Finally, Longfellow encourages us to keep working with determination and patience, always striving to achieve our goals.

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# 🌱 **Moral / Lesson of the Poem**

✅ **Life is precious and purposeful.**

✅ **We must act bravely, work hard, and make each day better than the last.**

✅ **Instead of wasting time in sorrow or idleness, we should strive to leave behind a legacy that inspires others.**

✅ **Faith, perseverance, and patience are essential to succeed in life.**

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